Monday, June 27, 2011

Eating Cheap (er)

So last week I had a post[HERE] about what food I bought while starting my cleanse. Randomly enough, no one commented directly on my blog, but I did get a surprising amount of responses via email and facebook, so I figured I would answer a lot of the similar questions I received. 


How much did I spend?

  • Everything cost about a little over $60, however I want to preface this. I had a gift card I received from work to Whole Foods, so that is where I shopped. Everything in there is organic and was local, thus a higher price. After the gift card I only spent $37, so it was a good deal. You don't need to buy all organic, just certain items.
What items would you recommend buying organic?
  • This isn't something that I made up- but its called the "Dirty Dozen" because they have the highest pesticide loads. What this means is that if you are wanting to be healthy but can only afford to buy limited things organic- these are what you need to purchase (hence why I put in red to make you STOP before purchasing- cheesy I know) Something to look out for as well, is it JUST organic, or was in grown in a greenhouse- greenhouse = less chance of pesticides were if its just organic you can still have the chance of some getting carried in the rain.* and mom if you're reading this, my bell peppers are green house* In no certain order:
    • peaches
    • apples
    • bell peppers
    • celery
    • nectarines
    • strawberries
    • cherries
    • kale
    • lettuce
    • imported grapes
    • carrots
    • pears. 
  • On the opposite side of the spectrum there are foods that are deemed the Clean 15 because these are the 15 least contaminated foods- perfect when you can't afford to buy organic- Here's the 'green light' 
    • Onions
    • sweet corn
    • asparagus
    • sweet peas
    • cabbage
    • egglplant
    • broccoli
    • tomatoes
    • sweet potatoes
    • avocadoes
    • pineapples
    • mangoes
    • kiwi
    • papayas
    • watermelon
    • grapefruit
How long does the food last?
  • Depends on the food-  Here's what I bought again- highlight in pinkish means I won't do again
    • 3 red bell peppers (finished the first 2, onto the 3rd- if you don't eat them that often, I recommend getting a plastic pepper saver, thats what i do and it preserves the freshness and makes them last longer once you've cut them open.
    • onions- long shelf live, i do put them in a container once their cut open to preserve
    • rosemary- typically only lasts one week for me and then it dries out and loses its potency (for me)
    • broccoli- surprisingly it hasn't gone bad- i only use the heads, so I'm almost out. If you just like the floret part, I recommend saving money and buying the 'crown' as they are cheaper than having the whole stalk. 
    • black berries- out of all the berries these will last the longest- i finished up the last batch today and there was only 2 bad ones
    • raspberries- honestly... i wouldn't waste your money on these. everytime I buy them it lasts about 1 day before it gets mushy and starts getting moldy. Very disappointed
    • black berries- lasted a few days- a handful started to turn white, but unlike the raspberries, I was able to finish the container
    • peaches- still going strong as long as they don't bruise
    • pickling cucumbers- AWFUL. I don't know what is different from a regular vs 'pickling'- i just bought them bc they were smaller. After 2 days they got real soft and toooo watery. I will not buy again and stick to regular cucumbers. 
    • garlic, black garlic, hummus, and dressing all keep until you are done (or if you wait a really long time, then yes they will go bad)
    • cage free eggs- almost done with them, good till expiration date
    • Spinach / spring mix- I normally buy just plain spinach and decided to mix it up. I find that spring mix gets mushy sooner than spinach, so I will just buy all spinach next time bc it lasts longer. 
Now as far as where to go- you have to hunt down the deals. If anyone reading this has an Aldi near them- I highly recommend them for the non organic items- especially cheap cucumbers , broccoli, onions, and asparagus. If you don't then just compare prices. The best thing I can suggest is memorize the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 list.

If ya'll have any other questions, please feel free to ask. Happy shopping and eating! 

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